"A building out of medieval Europe, lofty, imposing, timeless and indestructible, sitting in Gothic splendor beside a low country coastal river – surely someone must have rubbed Aladdin's magic lamp by mistake. But when you blink your eyes and look again, it's still there."
(Savannah Morning News, April 21, 1946)

The Rose Hill Mansion is a PRIVATE RESIDENCE, located within the GATED community of Rose Hill Plantation, so RESERVATIONS TO JOIN OUR TOURS ARE REQUIRED.
Please call (843) 757-6046 for available tour days & times and reservations.

The historic Rose Hill Mansion, known as the most beautiful plantation house in the Lowcountry, has long held a treasured place in Southern history. Originally built in the late 1850s by planter and physician, Dr. John Kirk and his wife Caroline, the plantation was a wedding present from Caroline's father, James Kirk.

Work was halted by the Civil War, and while occupied through the years, the interior was not completed until 1946, when new owners John and Betsy Gould Sturgeon finished it in grand style. In 1980, the Welton family purchased the land and the house was later listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1987, a fire devastated the house & it sat in a state of ruin until purchased and restored by The Middleton White Foundation. After a decade long restoration, the home is now shared with the public each day, via guided history tours.

The grand entry’s original open stringer spiral staircase is period grandeur. See the portrait of James Brown Kirk ( original founder of Bluffton ) & Dr. John Kirk, painted by granddaughter Emily, at the request of her mother, Caroline. The Kirk family returned these portraits, as well as other family heirlooms & original documents when the home was opened for tours in 2007.

The Rose Hill Mansion is also available for weddings & corporate event rentals, as well as private scheduled group tours & luncheons. The carriage house, connected to the mansion, can additionally be rented nightly or by the week.

Please note:

The Rose Hill Mansion is a PRIVATE RESIDENCE, located within the GATED community of Rose Hill Plantation, so RESERVATIONS TO JOIN OUR TOURS ARE REQUIRED. Please call (843) 757-6046 for available tour days & times and reservations.

The Rose Hill Mansion is a PRIVATE RESIDENCE, so self guided tours, inside or outside of the mansion are NOT permitted. The mansion is located within the GATED community of Rose Hill Plantation, so it is NOT possible to simply arrive at the gate & be admitted without a RESERVATION.